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Mr. Robot

Season 2

Winner of the Golden Globe for Best TV Drama, it follows Elliot Alderson, a young cyber-security engineer who becomes involved in the underground hacker group fsociety, after being recruited by their mysterious leader. Following the events of fsociety's 5/9 hack on multi-national company Evil Corp, the second season explores the consequences of that attack as well as the illusion of control.

Opinion

From the critics

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Quotes

Only 3 quotes at wikiquote this morning and they are good ones. Here are some more:

"Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more."
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Now, if I may ask, how does a young woman from New Jersey find her way into the FBI?
-I was... I am... disgusted by the selfish brutality of the world, but at the same time, I'm utterly fascinated by it. The FBI's a perfect place for that kind of contradiction.
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Let me ask, Miss DiPierro, have you ever wondered how the world would look if the Five/Nine hack never happened? How the world would look right now? In fact, some believe there are alternate realities playing out that very scenario, with other lives that we're leading... Other people that we've become. The contemplation moves me very deeply.
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Everyone has their own if/then conditional programming, a situation where if certain conditions are met, then a logic bomb detonates. Everything blows up in your face.

The hacker part 1 of 2:
I'm hacking the FBI. Step one: identify the target and its flaws. There are always flaws. I learned that early in life. My first hack, the local library, a vulnerable FTP server in its as400. A far cry from the Android zero days I'm using to own the FBI standard-issue smartphone. The library was a test to see if I could even get into the system. I've since set greater goals. For instance, step two: build malware and prepare an attack. At my fingertips, the zero day is wrapped in code like a Christmas present, then becomes an exploit, the programmatic expression of my will. I live for this sh1t. Step three: a reverse shell, two-stage exploit. The ideal package. Load the malware into a femtocell delivery system, my personal cell tower that'll intercept all mobile data. Similar to my first time, when I found myself staring at late book fees, employee names, member addresses. Everything was revealed.

The hacker part 2 of 2:
The secret of the perfect hack? Make it infallible. Hidden within the kernel is a logic bomb, malicious code designed to execute under circumstances I've programmed. Should the FBI take an image of the femtocell, all memory will self-corrupt, or "explode." Step four: Write the script. Why do it myself? Because that's how I learned, and I know exactly what, when, and how it's going to run. I didn't do anything harmful my first time. Just looked around. But I felt so powerful. 11 years old and in complete control of the Washington Township Public Library. Today is different. I hacked the world. Final step: launch the attack. Once I do, I'll own the Android phone of every FBI agent in that building. I'll own Evil Corp's network, applications, everything. Domain Admin. This, the thrill of pwning a system, this is the greatest rush. God access. The feeling never gets old.

Mr. Robot was right. Control can sometimes be an illusion. But sometimes you need illusion to gain control. Fantasy is an easy way to give meaning to the world, to cloak our harsh reality with escapist comfort. After all, isn't that why we surround ourselves with so many screens? So we can avoid seeing? So we can avoid each other? I don't think I'm ready to talk about it just yet. So we can avoid truth?
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Your network cable is gonna be plugged into one of these suckers. That's a battery-powered home-brewed mobile tower called a femtocell.
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Masters. We all have them. Every relationship's a power struggle. Some of us need to be controlled. Once in a while, the best course of action is to just ride shotgun. Stare at the road ahead, and hope it leads somewhere you want to go.

See, on this journey of life, it's best to stay focused on the road ahead, 'cause if you spend too much time looking down, you might just end up with a crick in your neck.
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Are your fingers broken, young lady?
- Not yet, but in this family, it's only a matter of time.
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It's time to move past it. Future is bright, endless like that horizon out there.
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Sometimes lies can be useful, Elliot. Sometimes they protect you. And sometimes they help you get away with murder. When the truth is painful, son... and it often is... a lie is the only remedy. 'Cause too much truth, too much honesty, that'll kill ya.
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Before she got sick, Maxine lived like her own operator. Didn't seem to cross her mind that she belonged to someone. But in that basement, she needed human hands to give her every scrap of food, every pill... Occasional light. For the first time, she realized that she continues to breathe because someone else allowed it, that she had a master.

All of this is said with a simple act of a handshake between two people. It's not any different than a client connecting with a server. It all relies on that first handshake and naturally grows from there for most people.
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Due to the credit crisis brought on by Five/Nine, many private businesses cannot afford waste management services, which has sparked a cottage industry of roadside garbage burning at discounted rates. The Taxi and Limousine Commission asks that drivers now accept Ecoin.
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And the money, well... We're talking about the type of money that makes you question right and wrong.
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World champion chess master Emanuel Lasker once said, "When you see a good move... look for a better one."
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I never thought the regiment would be the thing that would lead me right back where I started. People always told me growing up that it's never about the destination. It's about the journey. But what if the destination is you? What if it's always you?

They're trying to cover their tracks, and right now, we're the tracks.
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Nice little Petraeus email scam you got going on there.
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On the news in the courtroom when they cleared E Corp of all the bullshxt they put my family through. And you were in the back behind a sea of suits, and you laughed. It was so quick, no one even noticed. No one but me. Four-year-old little me. So... I'm happy I get to look you in the eye. I have taken down your company, taken over your home, and now... I have you.
-Okay. So you got me. Where do we go from here? I'm sure we can figure something out.
-I already have.
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You did what you had to do.
-No, that's the thing. I don't feel bad. I always knew there was a part of me that wanted to do this to her for what she did, but... I figured when the time came, something would stop me... But it didn't.
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Because I have nothing to hide, that's no different than saying I don't care about freedom of speech because I have nothing to say.

"What I'm about to tell you is top secret. A conspiracy bigger than all of us. There's a powerful group of people out there that are secretly running the world. I'm talking about the guys no one knows about, the guys that are invisible, the top 1% of the top 1%"...
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Happy Fourth of July, fellow Americans. On this patriotic holiday, we wanted to remind you, under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, privacy is a right. Or at least it used to be. Listen closely to a classified conference call we recently intercepted between the FBI agents that so earnestly promise you fidelity, bravery, and integrity. ... The FBI has 3 million of you innocent citizens under surveillance for no reason. Their tyrannical rape of our private data ends now. FBI, be warned. Your access to our lives is officially denied. Pursue us at your own peril. We do not compromise. We will not back down. We will destroy you. We are... fsociety.

Every relationship's a power struggle. Some of us need to be controlled.
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Speedy Gonzalez. f*cking amazing, man. Arrested, arraigned, convicted within 24 hours. Yeah, we heard about you, cuz. In fact, you're the only guilty man in the entire pen.
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I'm here to provide you with anything you may need. I can pretty much find anything, and I mean anything. Smokes, pills, hard shxt, porn, grandma porn. Some of these guys like that shxt. Gay porn. I don't judge, man. Whatever you need.
-Can you get me a notebook?
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I will rain chaos, even if it hurts me, 'cause I would rather see you lose than win myself.
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For me there's no such thing as normalcy. My dead father appears and disappears at will. I talk to you, an invisible friend. I'd ask if you're normal, but you never talk back. ... How can I return to normal when the SUV belonging to the man I murdered is parked outside my apartment?

So please, don't hold a personal grudge just because you lost. Defeats can still be profitable.
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I've always found doors fascinating inventions. They hold the entry to unlimited imagination. Before you open any door, a world filled with possibilities sits right behind it. And it isn't until you open it they are realized. Such potential they bring to our minds. And yet a lock stopped you from all of that. How... lazy.
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-Who are you?
I am a woman of time. And I don't believe in accidents. You, like an annoying penny... Keep turning up. Everywhere I look, you're there.
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I don't want your proof. I want your belief.
-Belief in what?
Do you ever think that if you imagined or believed in something, it could come true... Simply by will?
-Yes. Actually, I did believe that. But I'm slowly having to admit that's just not the real world... Even if I want it to be.
Well, I guess it all depends on what your definition of real is.

Comment

Even better than season one, which is terrific, season two expands on the personality split of Mr. Robot and Elliot. This allows the show's creator, Sam Esmail, to really flaunt his writing prowess and inventiveness. This is an amazing series, a pure treat, not only because of its commentary on the all-powerful nature of monopoly capital, but also for its accurate depiction of life in New York City. Life in New York City, particularly if you live on Manhattan, is a series of elevator rides. An elevator ride in the morning down from your apartment to street level. Then an elevator (or escalator) ride from the street down to the subway platform. Then an elevator ride up to the office in whatever high rise you are working in. You would think many television series have managed to capture this gestalt. But I can't think of any off the top of my head. MR. ROBOT 2.0 -- with all its subway rides and skyscraper window shots -- does.

It took me a few episodes to get into the second season of "Mr. Robot." Initially it felt like there were too many plot strands, but once it hits its stride, "Mr. Robot" is a paranoid, trippy, of the moment rush. I'm not sure if I always knew what was going on, but that's kind of the appeal of the show. Rami Malek underplays again in the lead and the strong cast is joined by Craig Robinson, in a rare dramatic role, rapper Joey Bada$$, and Grace Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter). With its cyberhacking, reality bending, deep paranoia, and random violence, "Mr. Robot" may be the show that best captures the unpredictable, scary, and warped, era we're living in. Trust no one.

Season 2 of Mr. Robot is amazing! It takes place during the aftermath of season one, and where everyone is. The focus is mainly on Elliot Alderson, a hacker struggling with reality. He no longer knows what’s true and what’s in his dreams. His inner conflict with Mr. Robot is so interesting to watch. Again, the season starts slow, but it builds up to something huge in the plot at the end. The show does an amazing job at representing hacking culture and mental illnesses. This season is a great follow-up to season one and it leaves you wanting more. Mr. Robot keeps getting better and better!
- @reviewsfromthe9 of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

The fsociety hackers were forced to go underground to evade the Dark Army and FBI manhunts. There were a lot of head-fakes throughout by virtue of the dual personalities of Elliot and those unconventional characters: Darlene (Elliot's sister), Angela (Elliot's best friend), Joanna (Tyrell's wife), Price (E-Corp CEO), Ray (darkweb merchant), Whiterose (man from Beijing), Leon (Elliot's road-dog) and DiPierro (young FBI agent.) There were a few scenes of hacks but the real attraction was the excellent acting and script.

*/ S1 comment applies, including ending: Interesting original story with an engaging script about a team of cyber security nerds' plan to hack inside the giant multinational E-Corp's data centers, their version of social justice in the aftermath of the 2008 financial meltdown, as the one-percenters continued to run the world while social media enabled the Arab Spring movement at the same time. A bit slow in places, low budget without ANY special effects or locales outside NYC (unlike Blackhat, 2015) and ending was a less than satisfactory set up for season two. Nonetheless, great program for psycho-techno-thriller fans. */